Meet the Horizon Die Team

Dan Badovinac – President, Owner

A founding partner, along with trusted brother and best friend Peter, Dan established Horizon Die Company, Inc. in 1987. Known for his discipline, rigor and drive to service customer needs, Dan is currently responsible for all operations, manufacturing, scheduling, planning and facilities expansion.

Away from Horizon, Dan’s time is spent with family – enjoying conversation, porch-sitting and football. Along with his wife Laurie, Dan commits time and resources to help support Holy Family School, an inner-city school located on Chicago’s west side.

Pete Badovinac – Vice President, Owner

For more than 25 years, Pete has been the technical, sales and engineering lead at Horizon. He is the engineering and creative genius behind many of the tooling and design breakthroughs that Horizon has developed for its customers.

From his earliest working days, Pete was focused and driven to become an expert die maker. Wishing to absorb all the knowledge and experience he could, he honed his skills, serving his apprenticeship with, and learning from, the best toolmakers and designers around the country. His considerable expertise now includes part design, die design, die making, automation and troubleshooting.

In his mid-20’s Pete and his brother Dan formulated a vision of an organization that would deliver the world’s finest dies, tools and metal stampings. That vision became Horizon Die and that mission holds true today.

Away from the office, Pete enjoys spending time with his wife Kathy and sharing both youth sports and college football with his two boys.

Jim Vitacco – Manufacturing Manager

Jim has worked at Horizon Die Company for 20 years, specializing in the field of Ram EDM and Jig Grinding.

Married for 28 years, and the father of three boys, he prefers to spend his down-time with his family and occasionally squeezing in some time in for golf, motorcycling or bowling.

Jim has a Mold Making Degree from the Tooling and Manufacturing Association.

Jackie Stinson – Customer Service / Materials

A multi-talented, energetic and up-beat individual, Jackie adeptly manages the daily challenges and fast paced customer needs that are characteristic of doing business in the Tool & Die industry. Her energy, personality and wide skill set are largely responsible for Horizon’s notable customer responsiveness.

Some might say her previous employment, as Managing Editor of “The Chicago Purchasor”, a trade journal published by the local Chicago Chapter of National Association of Purchasing Management Association (NAPM) didn’t suit her for the rough-and-tumble, tool-and-die manufacturing environment – but Horizon saw the gold beneath, and hired her. We, and our customers, are glad we did.

In her free time Jackie loves spending time with her friends and family, which now includes her 1st grandchild, and burns her extra energy Kayaking and bowling.

Doug Jameson – Tool Build/Production Supervisor

Doug has been a major contributor to Horizon Die’s success since its opening in 1987. During that time his role has steadily expanded. Currently, Doug oversees both the tool building and production areas. His leadership and direction is a key part of important projects – from their prototype stages, through to production running dies.

His most valuable time is spent with his wife and two grown children, close friends, or just hanging out on the patio catching up on their lives.

Kurt Sowatzke – Quality Manager

Kurt has a total of 35 years in Quality assurance – with 25 years in stamping and the last 5 years with Horizon Die. His background includes the automotive, aerospace, electronics and medical industries.

In his free time he enjoys hunting, fishing and occasional rounds of golf. In addition, Kurt volunteers as a youth mentor and stewardship commissioner in his community’s Catholic Church.

Brendan Durkin – Manufacturing Manager / Supplier Development

Currently, Brendan manages Horizon’s WEDM Department and has an active role in supplier development. He has been with Horizon for 19 years, during which time his roles have included WEDM Operator, Programmer and Die Designer.

Brendan resides in the western suburbs with his family. His interests include walking, biking and photography.

Dan Foelske - Human Resources Manager

Dan joined Horizon in April, 2012 to help manage the company’s growth. In addition to HR, Dan assists with the management of Production and Materials/Warehousing. In his 19-year career in manufacturing, Dan has worked in the plastics (injection molding), metalworking (job shop), and bearing industries. Dan’s roles have been in the areas of human resources, accounting & payroll, customer service, materials management, and production scheduling. Prior to manufacturing, Dan worked in the banking and financial services industries.

In his tenure at Horizon, Dan has been impressed with the expertise of the company’s management and the quality of the workforce, and is committed to maintaining and improving Horizon’s high standards.